The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of globe artichoke plant, a perennial herb that is grown as a food crop for the production of edible vegetable delicacies. The new invention is known botanically as CYNARA scolymus and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘SJ 857’. Cynara is in the family Asteraceae, formerly known as Compositae.
An individual plant of Cynara scolymus ‘SJ 857’ is comprised of main stem, lateral stems, leaves, and immature flower buds known as involucre. Each involucrum is made up of phyllaries also known as involucral bracts. The edible parts of freshly harvested immature flower buds are the fleshy part of the bracts, the fleshy receptacle, and the uppermost part of the peduncle. If not harvested, but permitted to mature, flower buds will develop into flower heads known as capitula.
In 2011 the inventor collected seed from the mature inflorescence of an individual Cynara scolymus ‘Z530’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,688 P2) plant that was grown in a cage in Maricopa, Calif. with other ‘Z530’ plants. Maricopa is in Kern County. Prevailing winds typically blow from west to east. In April the average temperature is 24.40° Celsius. Annual rainfall is 15.24 cm. and the soil is alluvial loam.
Said seed was sown by the inventor in Lompoc, Calif. in 2012 with the intention of making selections from the resulting crop. Lompoc is located on California's central coast in Santa Barbara County. Conditions vary with air temperatures ranging from 15.5° Celsius to 26.6° Celsius. The relative humidity is generally high. Prevailing winds are northwesterly and rainfall averages 30.48 cm. per year.
From resulting progeny, the inventor made selections based on criteria of immature flower bud size and productive yield From said selections the inventor discovered ‘SJ 857’ in 2013. The inventor selected ‘SJ 857’ in 2013 based on criteria of productive yield and green immature flower buds that are very large in size. Increases were made at this time by vegetative cuttings. In 2014 ‘SJ 857’ continued to show high productive yield of large, spherical immature flower buds, and the vegetative cuttings then served as explant material for subsequent asexual propagation by tissue culture in 2014. Tissue culture was initiated by meristemming followed by shoot multiplication, rooting, and acclimatization.
The new cultivar ‘SJ 857’ is a seedling variant derived from the parent (male and female parent), an individual CYNARA scolymus ‘Z530’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,688 P2). Compared to ‘Z530’, the new cultivar is different because the involucrum shape is spherical, while ‘Z530’ has an oblate involucrum shape. ‘SJ 857’ has 130 inner bracts per involucrum and ‘Z530’ has 50 inner bracts per involucrum. Additionally, the involucrum size of ‘SJ 857’ is double the number of large involucrums per plant. The involucrum size of the parent plant ‘Z530’ has a similar involucrum yield but smaller involucrums.
The closest comparison plant is Cynara scolymus ‘X42’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,699 P2). The new cultivar ‘SJ 857’ is distinguishable from the comparison plant by immature flower bud shape, and immature flower bud size. The new cultivar ‘SJ 857’ has twice as many large sized artichokes as the comparison plant.
From 2014 to 2017 the inventor increased numbers of ‘SJ 857’ to four thousand plants through both vegetative cuttings and tissue culture. Vegetative cuttings were done outdoors in Lompoc, Calif. while tissue culture was completed in a tissue culture lab in Lompoc, Calif. The new cultivar ‘SJ 857’ is determined uniform, stable, and true to type in subsequent generations of vegetative propagation. Cultural requirements include full sun, well-draining alluvial soil, and moderate water. Hardiness is classified as USDA Zone 6.